Vegetable-vine-spraying machine



June 10, 1924. y 1,497,637

V. S. FOLK ET AL VEGETABLE VINE SPRAYING MACHINE Filed Sept. 2, 19?.)

l' i wml jw/LWM *i o1 Vince SJPONA L Jol/m BHLmc WmerPDauis Patented June 10, 1924i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VINCE S. FOLK, J'OHN B. HUNT, ,AND WILMER Il?. DAVIS, 0F WAUCI-IULA, VFLORIDA.

'VEGET'ABLE-VINE-SPRAYING MACHINE.

Application led September 2, 1921. Serial No. 497,986.

. JOHN B. HUNT, and WILMER P. Davis, citisects which infest such vines.

zens of the United States, residing at Wauchula, in the county of Hardee and State of Florida, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vegetable-Vine-Spraying Machines, of which the following is a specification.

As is well known, in the raising of vegetables having vines of the running variety, particularly cucumbers and watermelons, which is a very considerable industry in our locality, it is necessary at intervals to spray the vines with a solution to destroy the p Because of the fact that the vines soon spread over the ground, spraying apparatus of the usual type mounted upon wheels has been found practically useless becauseofthe fact that the wheels cannot be so guided as to avoid the Vines and if such machines are used the vines are inevitably cut and bruised by the wheels tothe great injury of the vines and deterioration of their-bearing capacity. For these reasons the spraying of such vines is commonly accomplished by an apparatus carried manually upon the shoulders and the operation is almost entirely amanual one. It will Athus be seen that the labor incident to the care of extensive fields of cucumber, watermelon, and suchlikevegetable vines, such as 'are common yin many sections, particularly in parts of Florida, is very heavy and tiresome and also requires a considerable amount of time or a considerable number of men, and adds materially to the expense of the cultivation of such fields.

The object of our said invention is to provide an apparatus designed to be drawn by animal power, preferably a single horse or mule, to be guided among the vines of such a field and capable of being guided by an operat-or so as to avoid Contact with the vines, and injury thereto, and also one wherein the spray will be forced against the vines with sufiicient pressure to penetrate to the insects and accomplish their destruction, the pressure being generated by power derived from the traction wheel. Other objects and advantages will be pointed out in the further description ofthe construction and operation of the apparatus.

Referring to the accompanying drawings which are made apart hereof and on which similar reference characters indicate similar parts.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a vegetable vine spraying apparatus of the type referred to and 'embodying the various improvements in construction and arrangements constituting our said invention, l

` igure 2, a top or plan view of the same, an

' Figure 3 a detail plan vview of the tractionwheel and clutch mechanism for coupling and uncoupling the same with a pumping apparatus.

In said drawings the portions marked A represent the main support-ing framework of the apparatus, B the tank, C the pressure cylinder, and D the traction wheel.

The supporting frame A consists of side members of appropriate shape substantially as best "shown in Figure 2, their rear ends being spaced apart and eonnected'by cross members 10 and Y11 to form a structure appropriate for the support of the tank B. They are formed with an offset portion at point 12 forming a narrow frame for supporting pressure tank C and associate pumps. At point 13 they are preferably at an angle and continue to a meeting point at.

yThe hub of said traction wheel D has clutch members 17 formed' on its opposite ends with which sliding clutch members 18 are adapted to engage. Said sliding clutch members 18 carry sprocket wheels 19va1id sprocket chains A2O connect said sprocket wheels 19 with other sprocketwheels 21 .mounted on a crank-shaft 22, which is supported in boxes on brackets 23 mounted on the top of the membersr of frame A, as shown. Said clutch members 18 are each provided with grooves engaged by a fork formed on the front end of shifting levers 24 pivoted at 25 on a cross member 26 secured to the underside of frame A. A slidingl plate 27 is formed with diagonal slots 28 which engage pins in the outer ends of levers24 in the rear o pivot 25 and said plate27 is connectedto afhandlever 29' piv oted at 30 to a bracket on the rear of the frame and secured by a pawvl 3l engaging' Y anotched segment 32 as shown; Saidpawl 31 is operated by a hand-lever adjacent to the upper end of lever 29 as is eommon. By this means, as Will :be readily understood,-the operation ot lever 29 on its 'pivot 30 slides' plate 27 'back` and forth and required to operate the pump. It: is held centrally of its shaft 'and' pivotedV supporting legs 34@ arel mounted on lthe Yframe in the rear 'of theFWheel to prevent the machine from' tilting sidevvise,I .andi to'support it Wherrat'rest'. These Vlegs-,may bez heldl so that they `Will be'free' frornthe ground during'ztheoperation ofthe machine.Ev i

The :tank B is-securely fastened to the trame A by; bolts 35 vand extending through cross pieces` Which extend l"across the-top of thetank'a-nd cross Amembers 10 and 11 which extend from sidel to'side of the" frame beneath.` These bolts not" only securelyhold"the4 tankf inrplace but; also p clampv the Vcover 87 securelyT thereon" to precrankshaft 22 for operating same.

vent' theliquid spray contained' thereinZ from escaping.

The force pumpv shown is Athe common type, comprising a `pressurecylinder C and pun'iping cylinders 38, the piston rods 39 of Which'connect with a Walking-,beam 40 pivoted at 41 to brackets'on'the top of'cylinder C. A' pitman' rod 42 connects one enduof saidf walkingbeam with the crank of the A suc- Y tion pipe 'iextends from a point near'the bottoml of'tankvr B into the lower end of cylinder'C andthe pumps 38 in operation `force"'theliopuid tromtank B through said pipe'43 into theflovver end ofA cylinder C against a ktr'apped'body of air in itsfupper end which` is compressed' thereby,l thus lholdingl'thefliquid'in saidrcylinder under pressure until a certain' pressure is: reached which overcomes'awcheckvalve in' a `return pipe* 5f and permits the liquid to return through said pipeinto tankB untilthe pressure drops below apredetermined point. Spray nozzles are( connected `lto discharge pipes '71 by flexible jointsf72tor directing the spray.` to; the'vi'nes Aas desired.

Mounted onfthe Walk-ing beaml 40 is: a standard@60l connectedvby aconnecting .red

guides the Wheel l) amongthe vines so as f to avoid contact therewith. It will beunderstood, ofcourse, that in such fields the hills of theplant's are widely separated and the vines spread over large areas of ground. Ininstances where the vines have extendedL to cross the space between the hills the ends of the vines can be easily movedfaside by hand prior to drivingthe machine `betweenthe rows `for a space sufficienty to per mit the passage of the traction `Wheel: D

Without contact therewith; By this means a machine for this purpose is provided 4in which a pressure sutlicient to expel'th'elliquid through the'spray nozzles 70 witlrsuicient force to` accomplish the purpose desired is provided vand the necessity ofy doingl this heavy andtiresome work manually is avoided.

Having lthus nfully described our said invention, `what We claim `as new and desire to secure by `Letters Patent is:

1. A spraying machine comprising a frame, a-Wheel supporting'l the frame; aftank at the rearof the frame and a compression cylinder at the front thereof, spraynozzles in communication With said' compression cylinder,`means operated by 'said Wheel' for supplying fluid to said `compression cylinder under pressure, clutchlmembers at each sideV of the wheel, avlever for each clutch memberanda centrally disposedy handlever for operating said clutch members simultaneously, `substantially as setfforth.

2. A spraying machine comprising a frame, a Wheel'supporting the frame, a tank at the rearof the-frame and a compression cylinder at the front' thereof, a pump for supplying vfluid toI saidcompression cylinder` underv pressure, spray nozzles in communicationl with said com ression` cylinder, clutch members at each si eof the Wheel, a Walking beam forv operating. the pump, `a crank shaft connectedto the Walking beam, gearing connecting cach clutch `member to the' crank shaft, a lever forA each clutch member and a 'handlever adapted to operate said clutch levers, i substantially as set `forth.

A'v spraying` machine comprising a trame, a singlewheel *supporting the' frame, av tank atitherear end ofttheframe` and a pump at' the front endA alined with the Wheel, a clutch at each side of the wheel, our hands and seals at Wauchula, Florida, 10 a Walking beam for operating the pump; a. this 20th day of August, A. D. nineteen huncrankshaft connected to the Walking beam, dred and twenty-one.

sprocket gearing leading from each Clutch VINCE S. POLK. [L s.]

to the crankshaft, a lever for each clutch JOHN B. HUNT. [1.. s@ and a handlever in line with said Wheel WILMER P. DAVIS. [L. 5.] and adapted to operate said clutch levers Vtnesses:

simultaneously, substantially as set forth. J. A. I-IUTsoN,

In Witness whereof, We have hereunto set I. P. BARLOW. 

